Bethany Lutheran College president to retire in 2015

Dan R. Bruss, the president of Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, announced Wednesday that he plans to retire in June 2015 after 12 years on the job.

Bruss, 60, notified the college’s board earlier this month of his plans to step down. The college said it has begun a search for his successor.

“We hate to see him go. Nonetheless, we offer him our heartfelt prayers,” said the Rev. Herbert Huhnerkoch, chair of the Board of Regents.

Bruss has been president of the college since January 2003. As the school’s ninth president, he oversaw its expansion from a junior college to a four-year baccalaureate program with an NCAA Division III athletic program.

He also presided over a $28 million capital campaign for a new academic building and expanded endowment for scholarships.